First Time a Charm for Allen : L.A. Open: Scottish Open champion leads assault on Riviera with an eight-under-par 63.

If Michael Allen wins the Nissan Los Angeles Open, he has promised to share some Bordeaux wine with the writers covering it.

That’s a gesture worthy of the late Champagne Tony Lema, who provided bubbly for the press when he won in the 1960s.

So who is Michael Allen?

He said the same question was asked in Europe last year when he became the first American to win the Scottish Open.

Thursday, he added to his credentials by shooting a 63, eight under par, at Riviera Country Club for the first-round lead in the L.A. Open.

His 63 was all the more remarkable, considering the course record is 62 set by Larry Mize in 1985 and that Allen was playing Riviera competitively for the first time.

He said he got his experience in practice rounds Monday and Tuesday.

Allen finished the day two strokes ahead of Rocco Mediate and Peter Jacobsen, who had 65s. Pat Fitzsimons, who won the L.A. Open in 1975, had a 66. All of the leaders played in the morning under ideal conditions, warm with little wind.

Allen has taken a different route to the PGA Tour. He played in Europe the past few years, where he said he got valuable experience.

He estimates that he tried for his qualifying card on the PGA Tour five times and never got it until last fall.

Allen, who grew up in San Mateo and now lives in Phoenix, was similarly frustrated in trying to qualify for the European tour.

Still, he has shown steady improvement in the last three years, going from 68th, to 54th, to 15th on the European money-winning list.

Now 31, he said he had considered quitting golf if he had not shown marked improvement by the time he was 28.

Allen came close to his deadline before winning the Bordeaux Open in France in 1986 and then earned $50,000 the rest of the season.

His victory in Bordeaux provided him with 25 cases of wine, besides the prize money, and he says he has an ample supply of wine to share, if the occasion demands it.

Allen said he wasn’t a very good player in college, at Nevada Reno, and that he was more into rock and mountain climbing in high school.

“My parents helped a little bit,” Allen said of his early, struggling years on the European tour. “And I invested in the stock market and made enough money to keep going.”

He said he thought seriously about quitting golf a few times, but that his victories at Bordeaux and in the Scottish Open, where he shot a final-round 63, dispelled such thoughts.

“It was after the Scottish Open that I started believing in myself, that I could play with anyone in the world,” Allen said. “ I’m not in awe of these players. I can compete out here.”

Allen had five birdies through his first eight holes and said he could have had birdies on the first six, but the ball lipped out of the cup a couple times.

He said that a one-iron shot that almost went into the hole on the par-three, 238-yard fourth hole really got him going.

He sank putts ranging from 10 to 15 feet for six of his birdies.

Mediate--seeking his first tour victory--like Allen, was in contention to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am a few weeks ago. He was one stroke out of the lead after three rounds but faltered with a 77 on the final day.

“I was disappointed for about 30 seconds,” Mediate said of the tournament that was won by Mark O’Meara. “I couldn’t put a price on the experience I had there.”

Mediate, 27, who started his round on the 10th hole, had eight birdies and two bogeys.

“The course was really fun to play today,” he said. “Actually, this course is fun to play any day.”

Mediate played with Dave Stockton, who won the L.A. Open here in 1974. Stockton shot a 68.

“Watching him putt and his pace, it bleeds into you,” Mediate said. “Then, we both made a bunch of putts.”

As for his prospect of winning, Mediate said, “To win anywhere out here would be unbelievable.”

Jacobsen, who won the Bob Hope Classic last month, had six birdies without a bogey in his round of 65.

“I played extremely well,” Jacobsen said. “It’s a pleasure to play what I think is one of the five top golf courses in the world. And the weather was another plus.”

“Usually you see the low scores on the first day and then it tapers off.”

Jacobsen said he enjoys Riviera because of its simplicity.

“There are no tricks on the fairways, or on the greens,” he said. “This is not a penal golf course. A lot of courses being built today are of the penal style.

“If you play well here, you are going to be rewarded for great shots. But, if you don’t play well here and have a great short game, you can still score. You have a little more hope if you’re not playing well.”

Golf Notes

Five players were grouped at 67, four under par: Gil Morgan, Tom Byrum, John Inman, Tom Kite and Rick Fehr. Mark Calcavecchia, the defending champion, shot a par 71, and Ben Crenshaw had a 70.

LEADERS

Riviera Country Club Par 71

MICHAEL ALLEN 30-33--63

ROCCO MEDIATE 34-31--65

PETER JACOBSEN 33-32--65

PAT FITZSIMONS 33-33--66

TOM BYRUM 33-34--67

GIL MORGAN 34-33--67

JOHN INMAN 31-36--67

TOM KITE 33-34--67

RICK FEHR 33-34--67

16 Players tied at 68